Original German WWII Heer Army Medical Unit Personal Photo Album with Crucifix – 100 Photos Original Items

Original Item: One-of-a-kind-set. Here we have a wonderful German WWII Wehrmacht Heer Army personal photo album, featuring the usual green cover with a Silver Wehrmachtadler eagle in the upper left. There is no name inside the cover, however it appears to be made up entirely of personal photos, and looks to show the actions of a medical unit in the “Low Countries” of Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) as well as in France. There are two individuals identifiable throughout the album. The owner also definitely appears to have been a Devout Christian. possibly even a Chaplain, as they attached a metal and Ebony crucifix to the securing string for the album.

The album measures approximately 10 ½” x 7 ½”, and has 16 pages in total, which are made from gray card stock. The photos are glued directly to the pages, and there are no separators between the pages. Most of the photos appear to be taken by the owner, however some are definitely “tourist” prints, such as the one of Le Mans Cathedral in France. There are some captions under the photographs, but they are in pencil, so you need to hold the album in the light to read them. A total of 100 photographs fill the pages of this album, making it a treasure-trove of images taken from the viewpoint of a young, patriotic German soldier.

Historical records like this album have become priceless time capsules that provide an incomparable level of insight into the individual experience of the Second World War, now that almost eighty years have passed.

The older albums such as these usually withstand the ravages of time. The leather or fabric covers may wear, but the pages stay well intact. The black paper albums of the early 20th century are more fragile, while the glue from magnetic albums can damage photographs. And, as with all old photographs, keep albums in a safe, climate controlled environment.